Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-154045 (hereinafter, referred to as “Patent Document 1”) discloses a system that records temperature record information of a manufactured article, so that the expiration date of the article can be managed. This system is provided with a storing unit that stores for each article identification information characteristic of the article, a reading unit including a communication unit that extracts in a noncontact manner the identification information provided with the article, being attached to the article itself or a packaging member thereof, and transmits the information extracted to a network, a temperature measuring unit, installed on the reading unit or in the proximity thereof, that measures the temperature of the article and transmits the temperature information to the network, and an information storing unit that receives the identification information and the temperature information of the article via the network, and stores both information items.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-112499 (hereinafter, referred to as “Patent Document 2”) discloses a system that consistently conducts, with regard to multiple articles, residual quantity/inventory management, order management/purchase support, and furthermore order acceptance management on the order acceptance side. This system manages both a residual quantity of articles which changes according to the use thereof, and inventory of the articles to constantly keep the articles in an available condition, and reflects the residual data of the articles obtained by the residual quantity management in the article inventory management, thereby ordering an article based on the article inventory management on which the residual quantity has been reflected.